The Memory Librarian

Award-winning singer/songwriter Janelle Monáe and a group of talented collaborators explore the Afrofuturistic world she crafted via her music in her new short story collection The Memory Librarian. Based on her album "Dirty Computer," each story revels in the twistiness of the sci-fi genre. Each story is set in a world where memories can be controlled and erased by the elite, leading to stunning tales of rebellion, love, and the power (and danger) of technology. In addition to Monáe, the collection includes stories from Yohanca Delgado, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Sheree Renée Thomas, Danny Lore, and Eve L. Ewing.

One of Us Is Dead

One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose will give you major Big Little Lies vibes – only the story is deadlier and far more southern. Set against the backdrop of Buckhead, where status is everything, the story follows multiple women in town. First up is former queen bee Shannon who seeks revenge against her husband for dumping her for a younger woman named Crystal. Next is Olivia who concocts a scheme of her own in order to take Shannon's place as Buckhead's ringleader. Finally, Jenny, a salon owner who knows everyone's secrets, is just one gossip session away from ruining the lives of almost every person in town. At least one of these women will end up dead as they navigate their social-climbing and backstabbing community, but the question is which one of them will it be, and why?

The Children on the Hill

Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon defies genre classifications. The novel begins in 1978, when a famed psychiatrist brings home a withdrawn little girl to live with her and her grandchildren. The little girl soon bonds with the other children, and joins their monster hunting exhibitions. Later in 2019, podcaster Lizzy Shelley heads to Vermont where the abduction of a little girl and a series of monster sightings upends a small town. While others might scoff at the idea that monsters are real, Lizzy knows they are, just as she knows her sister is one of them.